MassAbility Pre-ETS in Massachusetts: What Students With IEPs Can Access Starting at Age 14

Career Readiness That Starts Before Your Child Thinks About Careers

Pre-Employment Transition Services are the earliest career-oriented supports available to Massachusetts students with disabilities — accessible starting at age 14 and continuing through age 21 (up to the 22nd birthday). They're delivered through MassAbility, which was renamed from the Massachusetts Rehabilitation Commission in September 2024, and they don't require your child to complete a formal Career Services application to participate.

That last point is the one most families miss. Pre-ETS are introductory, non-entitlement services. Any student with an IEP, a 504 plan, or another documented disability can access them without going through the full MassAbility intake process. The barrier to entry is low by design — the barrier to finding out they exist is the real problem.

The Five Core Pre-ETS Activities

MassAbility contracts with community providers to deliver Pre-ETS at high schools across the state. The services fall into five categories:

Job exploration counseling helps students understand different career fields, identify what kinds of work interest them, and connect those interests to realistic pathways. This isn't job placement — it's foundational exposure.

Work-based learning experiences include internships, job shadowing, and workplace tours. These give students direct contact with employment settings, which is especially valuable for students who haven't had those experiences outside school.

Workplace readiness training covers the soft skills that determine whether a job lasts: punctuality, communication, responding to feedback, professional behavior. For students with social communication or executive function challenges, this training addresses the exact gaps that derail early employment.

Counseling on postsecondary education helps students evaluate college, trade programs, and vocational training in the context of their strengths and support needs — not as an abstract aspiration but as a concrete next step with specific accommodations to plan for.

Instruction in self-advocacy teaches students to articulate their needs, request accommodations, and navigate systems without a parent mediating every interaction. This is arguably the most important Pre-ETS component for long-term independence.

The Three Developmental Tiers

Pre-ETS aren't one-size-fits-all. They operate across three progressive tiers that match the student's age and proximity to school exit:

Building Awareness (typically younger students) explores basic options, assists with seasonal job searches, and guides students through the process of getting a high school work permit.

Career Exploration (mid-transition) focuses on identifying specific vocational interests, mapping the educational requirements for those careers, and locating short-term internship opportunities.

Preparation (approximately two years before school exit) links the student directly to a MassAbility Career Counselor to begin coordinating post-school employment plans. This tier is the bridge between Pre-ETS and formal Vocational Rehabilitation services.

How to Connect With Your School's Provider

Every high school in Massachusetts has a designated Pre-ETS provider contracted through MassAbility. Start by asking your child's special education teacher or transition coordinator for the name and contact information of the Pre-ETS provider assigned to the school.

If the school doesn't know or hasn't established the connection, contact MassAbility directly through the MassAbility Connect portal or your regional MassAbility office. You can also raise the issue at the next IEP meeting — Pre-ETS access should be documented in the transition planning section of the IEP, and the school is expected to coordinate the referral.

The key is not to wait for the school to initiate. Families who ask for Pre-ETS at the age 14 transition IEP meeting get their students into programming years earlier than families who discover the services exist at age 17.

Pre-ETS vs. Full Career Services

Pre-ETS are introductory. They build awareness and skills but don't include the individualized, application-based vocational rehabilitation that MassAbility's Career Services program provides. For the step beyond Pre-ETS — formal vocational assessments, funded training, job coaching, and an Individualized Plan for Employment — students need to apply for MassAbility Career Services separately, ideally at least one year before school exit.

The Massachusetts IEP Transition to Adulthood Guide maps the Pre-ETS-to-Career-Services progression into the broader transition timeline, so families know when to start each referral and how the pieces connect across agencies.

See more Massachusetts guides →